BEIJING, Aug 3 (Reuters) - China’s Unipec, the trading arm of state oil major Sinopec, has suspended imports of crude oil from the United States due to a growing trade spat between Washington and Beijing, three sources familiar with the situation said on Friday.

The sources declined to be identified as they are not authorised to speak to the media.

Chinese oil buyers had already slowed their purchases of U.S. oil to avoid a likely import tariff threatened by Beijing amid the trade dispute between the world’s two largest economies.

Unipec did not respond to requests for comment. (Reporting by Josephine Mason; editing by Richard Pullin)